Trust Your Road

It’s been quite a while since I’ve written here on the blog. So much has happened over the years – what a ride this has been! When I started this blog 11 years ago, my intention was to create community and provide support, encouragement, and motivation to other people wearing the ExoSym or considering it as an option. I’m proud to say that goal was reached. With over 104K views and countless interactions, social posts, and emails, I’m honored to have met so many amazing people along this journey and grateful for the friendships formed and positive changes that came from starting this.

As bittersweet as it is to say, I am writing to share that I’ll be closing this blog by the end of the year. I’ve kept it going for a long time, but this chapter has come to a close as I have not been in the ExoSym since 2018. 

As I was thinking about what I wanted to say in this final post, I remembered a street sign I passed by the other morning. It read: “Speed bumps ahead.” And I thought to myself, isn’t life like that? We each have a unique road to travel in life. Some roads are flat, some are hilly, some are circular, some never return to the same point, some have speed bumps, and some do not. Sometimes we see a notice about the speed bumps ahead and sometimes there is no warning. How we choose to cross our road is up to us. Honor your journey by being open to what comes. We can’t change what we encounter on our road, but we can weather the speed bumps with trust – and learn to cross them differently.

I’ll be the first to admit that I grasped the wheel so tightly on my road – I was sad I had reinjured my leg after doing so well in the ExoSym for a few years. I was desperate to get back to my active lifestyle and life, but God had other plans for me. Maybe it wasn’t the road I would have chosen if given the option, but isn’t that what faith is? Learning to trust when you don’t understand. As I sit here writing this today, at 36, I can’t help but think, wow. Look at me now. Look at how I have grown and evolved, persevered, and progressed from the depths. It hasn’t been easy, but it’s been my journey, my road, and I’m honoring it.

My hope for each of us is that no matter what happens on our unique paths, that we learn to let go of grasping the wheel so tightly. Trust your faith, trust your heart, trust your journey, and trust your road.

Thank you to everyone who ever read this blog, left a comment, reached out, shared, subscribed, or took part in a blog post – it meant more to me than you know and inspired me to continue writing. And while my journey took a different direction, yall never stopped supporting me or making me feel included as a part of the community.

I can’t close this without saying thank you to the amazing and incredible Ryan Blanck, Koreen Peterson, Jared Williamson, and team. I will forever be grateful for Ryan and how he shaped my path and helped me along my road with my leg. He was the first person to give me a chance with my leg and I will never forget that. A truly incredible human being and I know we are all very grateful for him.

As I’ve said from the start: “In life, we have two choices: we can give up or we can go on. I hope that no matter what challenges you face, you always choose to go on.” ❤️

Never give up.

With love and gratitude,
Beth Shaver

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